works for me. turn to the camera. >>ah, actually i think my eyes might ha... next! digital insurance id cards. just a tap away on the geico app. breaking news from moscow. dramatic developments in the last few hours that paved the way for possible russian troops in the ukraine. >> 911, what is your emergency? >> tale of the tape. 911 calls from the four days of george washington bridge gridlock. what effect does this have on the probe into members of chris christie's administration. a frantic rescue caught on tape after an avalanche roars through a neighborhood. why is one person calling it incredible anyone came out alive. and wasted. the shocking numbers behind a new study on how much food americans throw away.

hello, everyone, it's high noon here in the east, 9:00 a.m. out west. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." breaking news out of russia, where the russian parliament has approved vladimir putin's request to use troops in the crimea region of ukraine. putin says the move is needed to protect a russian military base there, as well as ethnic russians living in the region. let's go to nbc's jim maceda with the very latest on this. jim, let's get the latest. are we seeing something that could be another cold war brewing here between the u.s. and russia, ultimately? >> reporter: alex, well, the first sign things were going seriously south today was this morning when russian foreign minister sergei lavrov said that ukrainian power militaries actually attacked the ministry in crimea, wounding several people, presumably ethnic russians. despite there being no confirmation, no evidence of that, that alleged threat to

russian compatriots in ukraine triggered a quick escalation, which russia has used many times before to justify an invasion. first the leader of ethnic russians in crimea called on president putin to send forces in to protect them from hostile extremists. then very quickly putin replied, requesting the use of force. and as you said in your lead, getting that request from force from the parliament. all that happening within just hours. now, that doesn't mean, alex, that putin will send in more troops and tanks to crimea. there are already plenty there. there is the black sea fleet base with thousands of russian troops. many of whom, by the way, have taken up positions securing airports, government buildings, telecom towers over the past 48 hours. but it does spike the tension even more, and now the united nations security council is calling for an emergency session in just the next couple hours. in terms of the new cold war,

well, if russia invades the crimea, that could possibly be called a new cold war light. not that russia and the u.s. would really seriously threaten each other militarily. but we could see ukraine split apart in a civil war where the u.s. and russia are supporting opposing sides. russian analysts we talk to here, alex, don't believe that putin wants to do anything so dramatic as breaking up the ukraine. that would hurt him, it would hurt russia's economy and prestige. what they do say is that putin's strategy now is to flex russia's muscles and tell the world that it needs russia to resolve this ukraine problem and any other problem that comes up. but still avoid a hot war. back to you, alex. >> okay, thank you from moscow. i appreciate that. nbc's jim maceda. let's go from there now to nbc's kristen welker following the latest developments from the white house for us.

kristen, what are you hearing from the obama administration and all the options that it may be considering? >> reporter: well, alex, a little bit of breaking news at this hour. according to a senior defense official, defense secretary chuck hagel, had a it telephone conversation with his counterpart today. we're still waiting to get details about what specifically was said during that conversation. but, of course, the white house monitoring the situation quite closely, in consultation with its partners abroad. for days, the administration has been warning russia against intervening in ukraine. of course, on friday, it was clear that that diplomatic strategy had failed, so president obama came out with a strong warning to russia not to ramp this up any further. he said there would be costs. here's a little bit more of what he had to say. take a listen. >> throughout this crisis, we have been very clear about one fundamental principle. the ukrainian people deserve the opportunity to determine their own future.

together with our european allies, we have urged an end to the violence, and encouraged ukrainians to pursue a course in which they stabilize their country, forge a broad based government and move to elections this spring. >> reporter: so the president was fairly vague about what costs would mean. but according to officials here behind the scenes, they say that the u.s. and its european allies are considering a possibility of boycotting the g 8 summit. that is separated to be held in sochi, hosted by russia later on this year. that would obviously be a big snub if they decided to take that route. so, again, this situation quite tense here as the administration continues to it monitor the fast-moving developments out of ukraine. and just to remind folks why this is important to the u.s. for decades, the united states has seen a democratic free europe as really integral to the united states' strategic interests abroad. so that is part the reason why they are monitoring this situation and why they are

engaging at this level. alex? >> kristen, i just want to see if there is clarification. that call that defense secretary chuck hagel made to his counterpart. was that to his russian counter part -- >> reporter: russian counterpart, at this point, alex. so obviously, we anticipate that once we get the details of that conversation that we will hear similar warnings that have been issued from president obama. so we're waiting to hear the actual details. but again, very important clarification there, alex. defense secretary chuck hagel had had a conversation with his russian counterpart earlier today. >> okay. from the white house, kristen welker, thank you very much for that. well, the other big story this day, extreme weather wreaking havoc across this country. first in southern california, a powerful rain storm is forcing more than 1,000 people to evacuate their homes. that storm could dump as much as, well, a lot of rain in a few days. california saw all of last year more than -- we're expecting to get more from that. and also creating some pretty dangerous rivers of mud.

>> even when it rains, i've never seen it it this violent and gnarly. >> the water was pretty high up. the water was flowing approximately 15 to 20 miles per hour. >> our house is going to have two or three feet of mud in the backyard. >> a frantic scene in montana, where heavy snow triggered an avalanche, destroyed a house, also buried three people, including an 8-year-old boy. they were all found alive. but two remain in critical condition. mean time, a major winter storm is brewing in the west. it is set to move east and many in the path can expect to see a foot of snow. but now more on the devastating rains in southern california. let's go to nbc's miguel al almagu almaguer, joining me for that. miguel, california has seen it all, even just this year. fires, drought, now floods. >> reporter: yeah, as we were talking to fighters about that yesterday, the weather here has been extreme. hot days, cold days, and now, of course, the very dry days. and, of course, very wet days. behind me is the l.a. river. just a few days ago in the middle of the extreme drought, it was all but dry, now several

feet deep. it rises when we get these heavy rains and like so much of this state, the rain water is rising. overnight, another deluge of water. california's strongest storm in three years showing no mercy. >> until the low pressure passes, there is still potential for heavy showers to exist. >> reporter: too much rain for the foothills outside los angeles. a thousand homes evacuated, a danger rising with the water and mud. >> we're evacuating we're on our way out right now. we're packed up, getting in the car, driving off. >> reporter: amanda highland and her father ed got out friday. just as mud swallowed their backyard and crept closer to their kitchen. >> so it's not a question of if it's going -- >> o it's coming. and right now it's like a little bit of a glacier. >> reporter: from space, the eye of this mondayster storm looked like a hurricane. on the ground, it may have felt like one too. winds toppled trees and knocked out power. roofs caved in on homes and businesses.

the highways so slick, this morning big rig nearly flew off a bridge. swift water rescue teams were busy across the state. no fatalities, but plenty of close calls. >> the water was pretty high up. the water as flowingel approximate 15 to 20 miles per hour, 5 feet, 10 feet deep. >> reporter: when the rain does stop, the cleanup could take weeks. you have lived here for about 30 years. ever seen anything like this? >> no, this is the first time. >> reporter: that bad, huh? >> yeah, it's that bad. >> reporter: and it isn't over yet. this morning, low lands are flooded, and the foothills are still in jeopardy of mudslides. we're told the water levels here will rise over the next 24 hours. we'll continue to see more rain later on today and into tomorrow. alex, they'll be having a close eye on the mudslide area. that neighborhood could be in danger for weeks until the soil hardens once again, alex. >> okay. miguel almaguer, thank you very much from aside the l.a. river there. well, it is not just the west coast that is seeing some

storms. snow is going to be hitting the east coast next. meteorologist dylan dreyer is here with that. i tell you, dylan, i was in los angeles this week. now back here in new york, i'm thinking i should have gotten off in dallas. >> it's probably one of the best places right now. you've got to go further south to deal with anything warm and not deluged in it water. we are still seeing temperatures right now in dallas at 64 degrees. but look at how brutally cold it is across the northern plains and upper midwest. temperatures today will be about 40 to 50 degrees below normal for this time of year. wind chill right now, 38 below is what it feels like in billings, montana. feels like 20 below in minneapolis. now, we do have some lighter snow showers moving through the northern plains right now. but here's that bigger storm system back through california. so the rain will continue out there. but as this next storm system moves from west to east, where exactly it lines up is going to play a huge role in how much snowfall we're going to see. by the time it makes its way to the east coast, you can see lighter snow showers just south

of minneapolis. some pockets of steadier snow in northern iowa. but what we are going to see is this storm moving through parts of northern missouri. then through illinois, indiana and ohio. now these are your snowfall totals over the next 48 hours, because by the time we get to monday, that's when the storm is going to line up across the mid atlantic. and at that point, there's the chance now that it could push a little further to the south. so instead of seeing a lot of snow in new york city, we should end up with about 4 to 6 inches. and then it's now another philadelphia and baltimore, washington, d.c., snowstorm as we go into monday. so that area could end up with about 8 to 10 inches of snow. there's a lot of time to really iron out the details, because right now this storm is still back through the plains. so something we will certainly keep a close eye on as we go through today and all those models tomorrow before we get to monday. ality election? >> okay. dylan dreyer, thank you for that. another big fight fort gop. this time it's about taxes and they're fighting each other again. plus, the nfl wants to crack down on players using racial slurs.

but can and should the owners impose this rule? former congressman and college football quarterback jaycee watts joins me next. and a reminder, the dramatic and breaking developments in the ukraine. we are following it for you. we'll get more reaction in this hour. [ female announcer ] new fiber one protein cereal. ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! ♪ we are one, under the sun ♪ under the sun... [ female announcer ] fiber and protein. together as one. introducing new fiber one protein cereal. [ female announcer ] fiber and protein. together as one. "stubborn love" by the lumineers did you i did. email? so what did you think of the house? did you see the school ratings? oh, you're right. hey babe, i got to go. bye daddy! have a good day at school, ok? ...but what about when my parents visit? ok. i just love this one... and it's next to a park. i love it. i love it too.

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the house republicans' new tax reform plan this week faced long odds before it saw the light of day. even the top republican in the senate, mitch mcconnell, declared it dead in the water. now, the oil and gas industry is raising its alarms, arguing the gop tax plan will, quote, put the brakes on america's drive to energy independence. joining me now, former republican congressman, jc watts, who serves as a consultant for the domestic energy producers alliance. and with a welcome to you. >> thank you, alex. >> i'm going to call you jc during this interview.

>> it works. >> okay, good. before we get to the impact on the energy sector, what is your take on this broader tax plan? >> well, it makes a lost assumptions. and first of all, i think chairman camp needs to be commended for, you know, putting something out there. but it's a discussion draft. and there's much discussion that needs to be had had, and especially when it it comes to i think the energy sector and those people who are creating jobs when you look at percentage depletion, that area that i would be very concerned about. and you've got about 18,000 small business owners that use percentage depletion as a form of capital formation. that's the biggest barrier to small business entering the segment, is capital formation, and that would be a real blow to it. and then you've got mineral owners who, you know, the average minueral owners, probaby 60, 62 years of age, they get a

check averaging about $500 a month. and it's -- you know, it's penalty to them. so i don't think we need more taxes, alex. i think we need more taxpayers. and that segment of the bill surely does not do a lot in terms of creating taxpayers or creating jobs. it's a penalty on jobs. >> but jc, i want to ask you, and think back to your time in congress. when you have something being put forth by the republicans, and then you have the top guy in the senate, a republican, basically saying this is doa, will the conversation even be taken seriously? will it even happen to the extent that it should? >> well, alex, you know, you know as well as i do, and probably better than i do, that this is a very poisonous city right now. it's very partisan. and only way you get anything done comprehensively, and i -- i think it's impossible in this environment to get anything done

comprehensively. comprehensive immigration reform. comprehensive tax reform. the reason we had comprehensive health care reform, in spite of what you think about it, is because you had one party controlling the house, the senate and the white house. and so to do things comprehensively, i think it's tough on either side to get something done. i think you have to, you know, get more -- you're going to have more three yard gains in an environment that we operate in washington. you're going to have more three yard gains, than you're going to have 30-yard gains. it's just the reality of the system. so there's much in the bill that i think you could point to that was positive. but there's obviously a lot of things that even republicans would have concern about. to say that we'll create $700 billion in new revenue, alex, that's an assumption over a ten-year period of time, assuming that chairman camp

would be the chairman of ways and means over the next ten years. i would buy into that. but even with that, that probably pays the interest. that doesn't even take care of the interest on our national debt for two years. we play -- we pay over $1 billion per day in interest alone on our national debt. so $700 billion in new revenue is somewhat of a drop in the bucket. >> but you know, that football analogy, three yards versus 30 yards, you're going to have a lot of tackles before you're able to score, if you know what i mean. >> that's right. >> i do want to play devil's advocate here. the country has a massive deficit. we need the money. so why should the country continue to subsidize the most profitable industry, rather. this this is according to sage works. oil and gas, the energy industry, most profitable. >> well, alex, and i would ask, you know, why should they subsidize the oil industry. and the fact is, they don't. percentage depletion is not a

subsidy. it's not a loophole. and that's the thing that's perplexing to me. why, if it's not broken, don't fix it. i would challenge those who would say that to take a look at percentage depletion. it's not a subsidy. it's not a loophole. so i would agree with them on that point. >> okay. back to the politics of all this. this is the latest in a string of policies that have fractured the gop. who is in charge of the party? >> well, i think any time a majority party is outside of the white house, and you could have said the same thing during the bush years with the democrats. you know, there's just a lot of discussion, a lot of chatter out there. if you're in the minority. but the fact is, i think even republicans have had a very difficult time over the last five years trying to determine

who -- who we want to be when we grow up. but i think we have to have a certain -- a set of principles, i think, in order to get us there. we have to have a set of principles that says we don't need more taxes, we need more taxpayers. so what do we do in the tax code to create -- to stimulate the economy. i think we have to have a common theme of opportunity for all people, red, yellow, brown, black and white. and men and women. i think we have to, you know, say that we are a party that wants to extend opportunity and hope for all people. and sometimes we don't always project that. we do have -- sometimes come off as being only for a certain few. and the republicans that i know and that i hang out with, they don't believe that. so, again, a lot of this is just being in the minority.

and you can lk back just six, eight years ago with president bush and find that the democrats were struggling with the same thing. >> may i ask you about something else here making news? i want to ask you about this proposal within the nfl to ban and penalize the use of the "n" word. i know, jc, you played professionally in the canadian football league after playing the university of oklahoma. would you support a ban? and i'm curious, how prevalent is the use of racial slurs on the field during the game? >> you know, i -- alex, i cannot -- you asked that, and i didn't know what you were going to ask. i knew we would talk about that. but asking that question, i don't think i heard racial slurs, not toward me. and my demographic of -- in the demographic that i'm in. the african-american community. i don't think i heard that beyond high school. and i understand what the national football league is

wanting to do, and if you're trying to curb something in any professional sport, in any arena, obviously when you hit people in the wallet and the pocketbook, that surely helps. but i also hear my grandmother, alex, saying what's in the well will come up in the bucket. if it's in the heart, it's going to come out by way of the tongue. and i would also say, alex, if i, as a black man, if i would expect you not to use that word, i should not use that word. and so i think it's a little broader than -- or racial slurs, it's a little broader than professional sports. we see it in our music, we see it in sports. >> that's my point, jc. because there are those who suggest, as terrible as this word is, that it is used in a different way now. almost generationally different. that, i mean, do you see that as being a viable point? >> well, i -- with what the nfl

is trying to do? >> yeah. i mean, they're saying -- it's used on the field, maybe. you'll have white owners telling players of color, african-american players, to say don't use this word, and they may use it amongst themselves in a way that doesn't necessarily denote the horrible origin of the word. i'm not sure i agree with that. but that is an argument that's out there. >> well, i've heard it, you know -- i will say this, alex. the oldcally say that says sticks and bones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, that's probably one of the biggest lies to come down the pike. words, they do hurt. and i think if you're my age, i'm old enough to understand the scourge of racial slurs, but i'm also young enough to kind of understand the new culture and how the new culture works and what they say and what they do. but it still doesn't make it

right. and i -- again, i thihao -- thi discussion, i think, that should be had. i applaud the national football league for taking it on. but trying to fix it in a very isolated way, i think there's a little bit of naivete there to think that if we do it here, that it's still not going to happen. but they're saying we're policing ourselves. and i commend them for raising the conscience level amongst players and amongst management and everybody else that's associated with the national football league. that this is a word that should not be used and in our public discourse. but again, if i expect you not to say it, you know, i should be held accountable, as well, in my music, in my language, in my spe speeches, whatever the case might be. even in my disagreement with someone, i should not use it. so it's -- again, i think it

will raise the conscience level. but it's -- it's a broader discussion, i think, that needs to be had. >> i don't know. my vote is to just retire the word all together. let's just do away with it. >> no question. >> congressman jc watts, good to see you. we'll see you again. >> thank you for having me on. >> you're welcome. in a matter of hours this morning, the situation in the ukraine escalated dramatically. we're going to get reaction just minutes for you. but first, what happens when the world's ninth-largest economy meets with a catastrophic drought? it's a west coast story you're going to want to hear. the job jugglers. the up all-nighters. and the ones who turn ideas into action. we've made our passions our life's work. we strive for the moments where we can say, "i did it!" ♪ we are entrepreneurs who started it all... with a signature. legalzoom has helped start over 1 million businesses, turning dreamers into business owners. and we're here to help start yours.

welcome back, everyone, to "weekends with alex witt." passengers and crew safe on the ground today after a mid air scare. an american airlines flight hit a flock of birds on takeoff from dallas-ft. worth last night. that plane made an emergency landing with a damaged engine, though none of the 123 passengers aboard was injured. more anti-government protests are planned in venezuela after a deadly demonstration. on friday, crowds unleashed

rocks and molotov cocktails, while national guardsmen returned fire with rubber bullets. one guardsman was shot to death, bringing the death toll to 18 after three weeks of unrest. and tornado warnings today in southern california as a volatile storm soaks the area. some 1,200 homes in the foothills east of los angeles are under evacuation because of positive it tension mudslides. despite the rain, not much help with the drought. for more, i'm joined by democratic congressman from california, john garamendi, thank you for joining me, sir. glad to have you here. >> thank you, alex. >> i'm wanting to know what you're hearing about the flooding and all of the concerns about mudslides in the l.a. foothills? >> i'm hearing the pitter patter of rain as i came into the studio this morning. we are getting rain, and god willing, we'll have a march miracle and we'll get the snow pack up to normal and we'll have the reservoirs filled. hopefully without a great deal of flooding. obviously, it's southern california getting whacked right now. a lot of it is caused by the

fires that denewted the hills and now you're getting the brush winding up in the streets and homes. but if this goes on, we're hopeful. we're always praying for the best. but nonetheless, we've got a long, long way to go. and there's a real important lesson here. and that is, we have to prepare for this kind of drought happening. it's not new. there's a wonderful line out of steinbeck's "east of eden" that talks about how quickly we forget the good times and the bad times. so we really need to prepare. and we can do so. we need to have stories, we need to have conservation, recycling. all these things are possible and now is the moment for us to do it. >> you're absolutely right. i'm curious. your district, the third district in the central valley's farming region. that has been tough, right? the impact of the drought on your constituents? >> very, very serious. we're looking -- most of the california rice industry is in my district. there's going to be perhaps 25 to 30% of that rice crop that will not be even planted this year. the water allocations -- now, this is the initial allocation,

not exactly what will happen. is zero. in many, many parts of the state. the big water systems, the federal and the state water systems, are saying we don't have any water at all. now it's raining. >> yeah. >> it's raining and change may occur. and what we really need to recognize, this is our moment. this year, while this drought is on our mind, to realize that while it may rain and maybe the reservoirs will fill, there will be another drought coming, and we need to prepare for it. and let's understand that los angeles, who most of us like to whack from time to time, has really much better prepared. they put water aside. they have their reservoirs filled and the aqua fors in much better shape than most of the central valley of california. >> you mentioned the rice crop being a 30% drop, not able to plant that. you look at california. this has the world's ninth largest economy. farming, $45 billion industry for the state. so what about the economic impact of all of this? >> serious. serious. not just the farmers. we're putting together an emergency drought bill in

congress. the state has just put one together. it's on governor brown's desk. that will provide immediate support for the farmers. also for the cities that need to deepen their wells, put in new water plumbing systems to get the water to the citizens in their community. all of that is really important. but beyond that, there is going to be a toll. there is no doubt, there is even with the recurrent rain, we will not see the same level of farming. what will happen is that the farmers will shift water from row crops, rice, i don't know, tomatoes, cotton, other kinds of crops. they'll shift from those annual crops over to the permanent crops to the trees so that the trees can be saved. even so, those trees will not produce as much this year for a variety of reasons. mostly because they're short of water. and so there will be a hurt throughout the state. certainly the farm workers, the farmers, those businesses that serve that industry. all the way from the truckers that move the tomatoes torocery.

>> representative garamendi, before i let you go, sir, i wanted to ask you about what's happening in ukraine. and the fact is, it may come to a point where congress has to take a vote on something relative to if we do anything at all there. what are your sentiments about what is going on there? i mean, u.s. potential to get involved. u.s. options. are there options that we have? >> well, there's a -- yes, there are options. first of all, cool it. take a step back. take a deep breath. there is a potential for very, very serious problems. and perhaps even military confrontation within the ukraine. and if that were to happen, who knows what would then come in. a vortex of war could occur. we don't need to go there. there is a diplomatic path that can be taken. the 1994 agreement, multinational agreement, russia, europe, several european countries and the united states put together an agreement, not a

treaty, but an agreement on how to -- how ukraine would move forward. so there's a diplomatic path that could sort this out. so we just need to cool it, take time. the u.n. is meeting in about another hour. the security council to discuss this. russia obviously will be involved in that. >> right. >> i don't think -- >> with veto power. >> well, we just -- we don't need a war in the crimea. that we do not need. and so this has to be worked out diplomatically. the people of ukraine need to sort out how they're going to govern themselves. obviously, there's a serious difference of opinion, but this needs to be worked out with the process of democracy. >> all right. california representative, john garamendi. sir, thank you very much for your time. >> thank you. let's go to today's number ones. and we begin with a titan of tech. for the seventh straight year, a "fortune" magazine survey names apple the most admired company. one of the top reasons, apple is

sitting on a mountain of money, $146 billion in cash. amazon.com coming in second. google, third. warren buffett's berkshire hathaway and starbucks rounding out the top five. the tesla model s electric sedan is the top car, coming from a billing of more than 1 million subscribers. it received a near perfect score of 99 out of 100, the highest mark any car maker has received in the survey's 18-year history. the toyota prius won the best green car. the dodge ram 1500. snickers ranks fifth on "time" magazine's list of the most influential candy bars of all-time. the best-selling. hershey's is second. what do you think is number one? it's the kitkat bar. "time" says kitkat was the first to become a popular global brand and has had the biggest impact

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in today's office politics, joy reid, host of the msnbc's "the reid report," we'll get to the growing economic divide. but first, i asked joy if we're more polarized than ever these days or does every generation feel that way? >> i think every generation feels like it's more polarized than ever. we had the civil war. 600,000 people died fighting each other over slavery and issues, you know, huge, weighty issues of national governance. and after that, we never reconciled it. so then we had 100 years of jim crow and incredible undercurrents of racial tension. so every generation has had particular and at times really ugly racial strife. so, no, this isn't the worst of times. but i do think it's an important time, because having an

african-american president was a test for the country. because the reaction to it tells us a lot about where we are. and i think that a lot of the reaction to president obama getting elected disabused people of the notion that we're post racial or that we are as far as we thought we were. i think 50 years after the march on washington and the civil rights act and the voting rights act, we are not as far as we thought we were. >> how disappointing is that, to not be at a wonderful pinnacle, having put the first african-american man in the presidency, the top spot? >> it's disappointing, but i don't think it should be surprising. this is a very young country. and it's -- if you think about how incredible it is that just over 200 or some odd years after the country was founded, with slavery en democratic to the founding of the country, with slavery endemic to the economic growth of the country, it was the economy that built the south. and if you think that just over 200 years later you elect an african-american president in the sweep of history, england hasn't done it. that's a much older country.

only 50 years ago that we were still battling over whether black people could eat in a restaurant. so we shouldn't be shocked that a lot of people are still uncomfortable with the idea of president obama. but we need to talk about it. and i think we shouldn't try to pretend it doesn't exist. and i think that's why we have so many problems. we just don't want to talk about it. >> so do you think there is a growing divide between the have and the have nots and what do you attribute that to? >> we used to have an economy where the guy who owned the factory and the guy on the factory floor were separated by, you know, tens of thousands of dollars. now we have the guy who owns the factory and the guy on the factory floor, assuming the factory is in the united states still, which a lot of times it's not. separated by millions and millions of dollars. and that owner now really does not have as his main task growing the business, getting more customers, serving the customers, and bringing his workers along so they can buy his products. he has only really one job, which is increasing shareholder

value. is and if you'll our about is increasing shareholder value, you can do that just as well by laying people off as you can by selling more products. there is no more feelty to people who own the businesses and people who run them, unless you're talking about small businesses. >> tomorrow at this time, joy explains why she finds the 2014 senate race in kentucky between mitch mcconnell and allison grimes similar to a greek tragedy. the escalating crisis in ukraine has taken a dramatic turn in the last few hours. what are the options for president obama and the u.s.? unlimited text ...and 10 gigs of data to share. 10 gigs? 10 gigs. all for $160 dollars a month. you know, i think our family really needed this. it's really gonna bring us closer together. yep. yep. yep. yep. yep. yep. introducing our best-ever family pricing for instance, a family of four gets 10 gigs of data with unlimited talk and text for 160 dollars a month. only from at&t.

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♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing good around ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one. breaking news. russia's parliament has given president vladimir putin permission to use the russian military inside ukraine. putin says the force is needed to protect ethnic russians and members of a military base in ukraine's strategic region of crimea. and joining me now, washington correspondent for the daily beast, eleanor clift and white house reporter for "the washington post" david nakumura.

david, what the president said about russian military intervention inside ukraine. >> just days after the world came to russia for the olympic games, it would invite the condemnation of nations around the world. and indeed, the united states will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military interinvention in ukraine. >> david, what is the calculation at the white house right now about this? how far can the president go? what kind of options does the administration weigh at this appointment? >> well, alex, i think they're thinking about all options. the problem is, the president doesn't have a lot. i mean, relations, as everybody knows, between president obama and vladimir putin, are at an all-time low. the whole administration's attempt a couple years ago to sort of reset relations with russia has been a total failure. last year was terrible with russia giving safe harbor to edward snowden. the president, you know, cancelled a summit meeting last year when he was going to a separate event in russia with putin. and so they -- the two are

barely on talking terms. the president did call him a week ago. that clearly did not work. so i think for the u.s., they're looking at a number of options. some could be more economic sanctions, perhaps offering aid to the new opposition government, the temporary government in ukraine, to replace an aid package that russia with drew. but in terms of military options, this administration is very cautious about doing anything that would provoke an escalation in this standoff. and so i think the administration is hoping this public pressure can make putin think twice. but you're seeing putin stepping up his game, as well. i think russia may withdraw their own ambassador to washington. and so if you have diplomatic channels pretty much closed, it doesn't look good. and so i think the administration is going to be working throughout the weekend to try to figure out what the next steps are and work with our european participants to put the pressure on russia. >> eleanor, we want you to weigh in as we heard the president using the word costs. what do you think the president means by that? >> well, i think the president is appealing to president

putin's better self, if i could put it that way. and putin just spent billions on an olympics that was designed to show the world that russia is a forward-thinking, modern nation. does he really want to squander that all by appearing to use thuggish tactics towards ukraine. and it's fascinating to me that putin is going through all of these legal channels, getting permission from his parliament to do -- to take further action if he wishes. but the true behavior so far, i think they can still claim that it's under the heading of the naval base they have there, they're protecting the airports. there is a nationalistic -- >> protecting -- >> authorizing -- right, exactly. and so i think the white house is still regarding this as saber

rattling ask they hope it will stop. again, the threat of not attending the g-20, which was another piece in the putin strategy of reviving the greatness of his country by hosting this summit of international nations in sochi in june. the threat of the other nations not attending. i think that's a meaningful card that this administration has to play. but obama is not going to go to war over ukraine. and putin knows that. and so i think he's going to push as far as he thinks he can get away with. >> david, will you weigh in as well on whether or not the united states not showing up to this g-8 summit? would that be enough of a cost? would that send a loud enough message? >> i don't know. and it's also, you know, a few months away. i think that is, you know, among the options that the white house would consider. again, the president went to a summit last year, economic summit, in st. petersburg, he

cancelled it, went to another country instead to make a point. and he also when he was in st. petersburg for the economic summit, didn't really meet with putin on the sidelines. and he instead met with, you know, civil society leaders to talk about gay rights and oh other things. to put pressure on putin that way. did that with the olympic delegation that they sent to sochi, as well. these are steps that are important. but i think it's still a ways off. and this crisis is right now. so how do you put the pressure on. you can sort of threaten that, but that's going to do much in the near term. >> yeah. eleanor, are you recalling at all when the president drew that line in the sand for syria? i mean, is there -- are there any parallels from that situation that you could see applied here? >> you know, i just think we need to calm down a little about only thinking the president is responding in a tough way if there is some sort of military action related to it. i think this is delicate

diplomacy. i think it's as much about putin's psychology, wanting to be seen as a great super power. and again, i don't think he wants to squander the goodwill that he gained. i think we have to put ourselves in his shoes. he got a bounce out of sochi in the world, and especially in his own country of russia. a recent poll that was taken in russia showed that 65% of the population doesn't really care about ukraine. and those that do half think that it's a terrorist plot inspired by the west. he's got a lot of maneuvering room at home. >> okay. david nakumura, eleanor clift, thanks. wasted americans. throwing away a staggering amount of what some countries are dying for. a new report looks at the numbers. but can anything be done? p peop, and that he travels the world inventing amazing new cleaners, like his newest invention, liquid muscle,

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to nbcuniversal's coveragens of the biggest loser olympic winter games ever, with the most coverage of the most events on every device. and the most hours of streaming video on the nbc sports live extra app, including the x1 platform from xfinity. comcast was honored to bring every minute of every medal of nbcuniversal's coverage to every screen. so what's next? rio 2016. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal. an alarming new report from

the u.s. department of agriculture reveals that we as a nation waste more than 30% of the food we produce, from half-eaten plates in restaurants to fresh foods rotting in the frej. that number is staggering. author and journalist, jonathan bloom, ex planes why this is happening and what we can do about it in his book, "american waste land." you estimate the number to be 40% and getting worse. there is one op-ed in the "l.a. times" that says every american wastes enough to fill the rose bowl. that was in 2010. how did we get here? >> we're wasting so much food for a variety of reasons. but the sheer abundance of food we produce in this country doesn't help. the cost of our food. it's actually not that expensive when you look at the percentage of our household budget that goes toward food. and that makes us not really value our food as much is. and finally, the beauty factor. we want our food to look perfect. and so so much food never reaches the store. >> what about the seize, the

portions in restaurants? you can make an argument that you're served too much in restaurants. >> oh, yeah. no, we're often overserved, which doesn't help in terms of obesity. but also leads to a whole the of food not being used. and so, yeah, being more sensible on portion sizes, or if you're served too much, taking that food home. and having that food the next day as leftovers, that will certainly help. >> yeah. and you mentioned the money. i mean, this garbage project estimates 25% of the food we bring home ends up wasted. so a family of four can spend $175 a week, 40 bucks of that is just wasted. back to the money problem you brought up, first of all. so much of this wastefulness, jonathan, is done unconsciously. how do you get people to realize they're wasting food and break these habits? >> well, i think you need to get people to think about their wastes by any means necessary. so a good way to do that would be to start composting. and if you're actually seeing your food waste every day and every week, then it's going to

lead you to change your ways. the other thing you could do is it tough just keep a diary of the cost of your food and the amount that gets thrown out, and given that we're squandering maybe around 2 grand a year for the average family of four, i would imagine that would certainly motivate many folks to start to change their behavior. >> well, i'm hoping this conversation is motivating people to check out the book "american waste land." it is yours and has some great information to it. because we're all wasting food and we've got to infection this together. jonathan bloom, thank you so much. >> thanks for having me. the proposed new nfl rule that would ban racial slurs on the field. not everyone thinks it's a good idea. and the growing crisis in the ukraine. we have breaking developments to share on that. heavy rain and strong gusty winds again in the forecast for california today. we're looking at more of an icy mix through kansas city, and that will eventually spread east. so late in the day on sunday, in

the northeast, we will start to see that wintry mix turning over to snow throughout the day on monday. temperatures look real cold. sunday we'll top out around 36 degrees in parts of new york and 34 up near boston. my dad has aor afib.brillation, he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem.

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if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa. crisis in ukraine. a series of breaking developments. pro russian protests break out there, while russia's military stands its ground in crimea. torrential rain wreaks havoc in southern california.

frantic fight life. an avalanche slams into a neighborhood. heroes rush in. and keeping tabs. a restaurant chain imposes an obamacare surcharge on every bill. so what do customers think about that? good day to all of you. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." a bit past 1:00 p.m. in the east, 10:00 a.m. in the west. here's what's happening now. breaking news. in an hour from now, the u.n. security council is expected to hold an emergency session on the fast-moving situation in ukraine. the russian parliament has unanimously approved the use of military force in the crimea region of ukraine. this after president obama just yesterday came out with a strong warning to russia, not to intervene militarily there. today russian president slvladir putin went to parliament and asked to use military force and his request was immediately approved. thousands of troops landed

in ukraine early this morning. they have surrounded the airports, as well as the parliament there. so for the very latest on this tense situation, let's go to nbc's jim maceda in mouse could you for us. jim, what do you know? any updates? >> reporter: hi, alex. well, it's been, and if you look back, a day of extraordinary events that had been playing out here and playing out in crimea. page for page, as if they were pulled from an old soviet playbook. we start with foreign minister, sergey lavrov, claiming that ukraine power military this morning attacked the pro russian interior ministry in crimea, wounding several people presumably ethnic russians, and despite there being no confirmation of that -- no evidence of that. the alleged threat to russians inside ukraine just triggered this quick escalation of events. russia has used this, of course, many times to justify an invasion. and within hours, the leader of ethnic russians in crimea called on president putin to send in

russian forces for protection, of course. and putin responded, as you say, very quickly, responding to the use -- requesting the use of force, and getting it from his rubber stamp parliament, and all that, alex, just within hours. now, it doesn't mean that putin will be sending in more troops and tanks into crimea. there are already thousands there, all part of russia's black sea fleet, and over the past 48 hours, they have been there securing airports already, government buildings, telecom towers. but it does spike the tension much higher. now, as you say, there is going to be a u.n. security council emergency meeting on this ukraine crisis in just an hour from now. alex? >> absolutely, there is. okay. from moscow, thank you so much. nbc's jim maceda. ahead of latest developments, the president warned on friday to russia about military intervention inside ukraine. here's that. >> after the world came to russia for the olympic games, it would invite the condemnation of

nations around the world. and indeed, the united states will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in ukraine. >> let's dive deeper into what this means for u.s.-russian relations. already frosty at best. colonel jack jacobs is joining me now. colonel jack, russia, is it effectively in control of the crimea region right now? >> sure looks like t doesn't it? they already had troops, like jim said. don't forget, they have a large naval base there, so there are lots of troops there already. and it certainly looks as if they're in the control. we have to not forget, about 65% or even more of the crimean region, the people there feel like they're russian, and not ukrainian in any case. and that whole area, that whole peninsula about 60 years ago was given to the ukraine by khrushchev as a gift, by and

large. and so the people who were there, they don't really feel part of the ukraine in any case. >> yeah, i want to talk about that. the history of russia and its involvement there. this is an area that during world war ii saw pretty much some of the fiercest battles between russia and germany. and as the people say, there is a lot of russian blood that was spilled oppose on the cobble spoken streets. >> if you look at the geography and see why that's so, the don river which flows through russia demps out eventually into the black sea right there. and it's been the scene of lots and lots of fighting, not just in the second world war, but in the 19th century, as well. there is a lot of russian history there, and the russians feel strongly about it. what. >> options does the united states have to alter or influence this situation? >> none. zero. no. the whole idea about the security councils meeting to talk about this, we have to remember -- russia is going to veto anything.

and we make a big mistake all of the time by having our politicians step up, talk into the microphone and say, don't do this, because there will be consequences when, in fact, there won't be any consequences. talk is cheap. and the best way to do anything is behind the scenes diplomatically. >> to that end, then, you heard nbc's kristen welker say that just a short while before she came on the air with us, defense secretary chuck hagel had spoken with his russian counterpart. what do you think was said then? >> nothing useful. i don't think that the -- that secretary hagel has any bone -- we have nothing in our quiver. we're not going to the defense of ukraine. no matter what the compacts say. we have demonstrated already, as a matter of fact, that we -- that our talk is cheap. don't forget, in syria, we said, don't use chemical weapons or you'll be in big trouble, syria. and, in fact, they had already used weapons of mass destruction, we didn't do anything at all about it. this is the same.

talk is cheap, and i don't think that the defense secretary has any sway whatsoever over russia. it -- even behind closed doors. it doesn't look good, does it? >> what is next? >> i think the next thing is that russia, who doesn't want to have a big deal take place inside ukraine will try to keep things relatively quiet. they're going to it continue to control crimea. the big danger is that ukrainians in ukraine, who don't like this, will start demonstrating in kiev, as they had before all this occurred, and that russian troops will then begin firing on them. that will be really bad news. and bad news especially for the united states who has difficult decisions to make, and probably aren't going to make them. >> okay. colonel jack jacobs, thanks so much. we'll be following this later on this hour, as well. mean time, everyone, a another dramatic developing situation, 1,000 people evacuating their homes. this storm could dump as much rain in a few days as california

saw all of last year. at times yesterday, they were getting an inch of rain per hour. >> even when it rains, i've never seen it this violent and gnarly. >> the water was pretty high up. the water was flowing approximately 15 to 20 miles per hour. >> our house is going to have two or three feet of mud in the backyard. >> weather channel's dave malkoff is joining me now. we look at these pictures. what is it about this storm that is making it so doing reduce? >> well, alex, a couple things here that happened when so much rain falls on a place like southern california. number one, you can see right behind me, this is the los angeles river. it's less of a river and more of a concrete flood channel that's normally a trickle. right now, it is a raging rapid, three times the los angeles city fire department had to come out with the urban search and rescue team and pull people out of this rapid back here. it gets to be a dangerous situation with homeless encampments and people who get too close to the river.

the second situation is going on, and mountainsides near asuza, california, about 45 minutes east of where i'm standing right now in griffith park. and that's a mountainside that burned just a month ago. now, as the fire comes through, it rips out all the vegetation and root systems and everything that would basilically hold a mountain together. so these folks in these neighborhoods you're looking at are living underneath a mountain that is just about to come ap t apart, because it takes in so much water. and then the soil gets saturated. it's not just soil, but it's ash that gets mixed with water into the sludge that pours down into their neighborhood. and as that sludge pours out, alex, rocks come out underneath that. rocks the size of volkswagens. they can push homes off their foundation. they can justin undate the homes. so there is this much room between the floor and the ceiling. it's a veryittion

that happened, just as recen 20. now another problem that we saw that i've never seen before, alex, is that there is actually fire still burning in some of these sections that have -- we thought we they went out months ago. there is fire burning underneath in the ground in the root system. so as these boulders move apart, you see the smoke come up. and it starts igniting again. the fire department came out to check that out. they saw the rain coming down, they saw the shludge coming dow, alex, and they said we're not going up there, because not only is it dangerous for us, but the rain is going to put that fire out for good. >> wow! david malkoff, i asked for an explanation as to why things are so dangerous, and you sure brought it. that's a bad situation out there. all right, well, thank you very much. >> yeah, it really is. >> yeah, we appreciate that. the east coast is getting a lot of weather drama, as well. let's get the latest from nbc

meteorologist dylan dreyer. bring it to us. >> it is march 1st. i want to preface this by saying it's meteorological spring today, but certainly isn't going to feel like it. we've got the cold temperatures, and they are setting the stage for the next storm system that is going to bring mainly snow. we've got temperatures running this afternoon about 40 to almost 50 degrees below average for this time of year with your wind chills across the northern plains at about 20 to 40 below zero right now. here is the storm system. it's part of this storm that's gaining energy from the rain that we're still seeing out in california. but it's closer to areas like iowa and into parts of wisconsin, where we are seeing most of our snowfall right now. but as this storm system moves eastward, we are looking at the chance, perhaps as much in kansas city of 6 to 12 inches of snowfall. but you go further east. this storm system is still changing every time a model comes out. we're looking at about 3 to 6 inches over the next 48 hours. but the storm is really going to bring the snow throughout monday morning. and now the whole system is

pushing a little further to the south. areas like philadelphia could end up with 6 inches. whereas baltimore and washington, d.c., could see closer to 8 to 10 inches of snow. but the latest models indicate that it's all pushing a little further south. areas like the mountains of north carolina could end up with a foot of snow, as opposed to it happening right in new york city. so there is good news. it doesn't look like it's going to be as intense. but now it's areas across the mid atlantic and further south that could see most of the snow, alex. >> all i'm hearing, it's march, which means there is a light at the end of the tunnel. dylan, thank you. the nfl is considering a ban on racial slurs, but not everyone is for it. the leader of the group pushing for that change joins me next. and, of course, we're keeping an eye on the events in ukraine, where protesters remain camped out in kiev as the united nations security council prepares to gather for an emergency meeting in about 45 minutes about ukraine. with new febreze allergen reducer. [ man ] wanna see some allergens? [ together ] eww! what is that thing? they could be all around you right now. [ gasps ] ♪ how would you deal with them?

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with limited availability in select markets. to nbcuniversal's coveragens of the biggest loser olympic winter games ever, with the most coverage of the most events on every device. and the most hours of streaming video on the nbc sports live extra app, including the x1 platform from xfinity. comcast was honored to bring every minute of every medal of nbcuniversal's coverage to every screen. so what's next? rio 2016. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal.

and, of course, we'r russian forces are on guard in ukraine's crimea region. the russian parliament gave putin formal permission to deploy troops. and in response, ukraine's opposition leader is now calling for general mobilization. we have reaction from one expert at the half hour, and we'll also find out how might this end. mean time, when nfl coaches and owners meet later this month to consider rule changes for the upcoming season, there are hopes they will take on a new proposal that has launched a heated debate. should the nfl ban penlize players for using the "n" word on the field. joining me now is john ruetten, who played for both the cleveland browns and washington redskins and now chairman of the fritz pollard alliance, which promotes minority hiring coaching, as well as in the front office positions. and is john, i'm awfully glad to talk to you about this. i think most people would agree

with the spirit of the rule. but there is some concern about how it would it actually be enforced. what are you envisioning? >> well, the national football league, alex, first of all, thanks for having us on. but the national football league is a league of rules. you are penalized if you flinch in the national football league. a false start and so forth. so what we're saying to the national football league, or asking, really, is that they take into consideration the fact that the "n" word and the slurs and racial slurs and all type of derogatory words of being said in the workplace -- and we're not just saying on the field, but also in the workplace, all over the buildings and so -- building and offices and so forth. as a deitterrent to the fact of

how players have come to disrespect each other. not only white on black, but black on black and so forth. >> well, john, you make a good point there. because there are people who suggest that -- it's a new generational thing, i think, where you will have black players using that word with other black players, and their claim is it's just part of their lingo these days. they're not meaning it in the heinous way in which it was created years ago. >> well, the root of the word itself, and i'm sure you will agree, and everyone else who have great respect for human dignity, will agree that it is -- the root of it itself is an ugly word. >> absolutely. >> and consequently, the thing in which you want to see happen is that players start to respect each other. and it comes from the very fact of, quote, this word.

we have -- the incident that precipitated this was what happened in the philadelphia-washington game, where a player totally insulted a game day official by calling him an "mfn." and, of course, the player denies this. but we believe that game day official was right in what he said took place. >> so, john -- >> and that's what precipitated. >> so, john, but you're looking for this 15-yard penalty for the use. would you be interested in considering something like the nba player conduct rules? that's where the league, you know, fines a player, but it isn't necessarily part of the game. >> no, i think that what you want to do, as i said earlier,

the nfl is a league of rules. and consequently, you want to be in a position where the players are responsible for their action immediately. and if they don't want -- the coaches don't this to happen -- let me give you a good example. i played in the national football league in the '50s and '60s. when this country was at the height of racism, segregation, and racial turmoil. played for the cleveland browns. and each year, paul browne, our coach, said very simply, i don't have any black browns, i don't have any white browns. all i have are cleveland browns. and if there is anyone that has trouble with that, let us know, and we'll have you on your way. the message was simple. if you want to play here, you are going to respect each other

as players. and that's what we're calling -- let's go back to this. last week, on another one of the channels, outside the line, espn, we're looking at young black and white and hispanic, asian teenagers, see how they use the word every day. how they call each other this every day. well, all of a sudden, quote, it's going to be a term of endearment. we need to make sure that people, black, white, hispanic, asians, whoever, understand how ugly this word is, where it came from. understand the root of the word. the word was derived primarily to make us as people of color feel that we were inferior, that we were sub human to whites. you can't take that word and use it any other way. i don't care how you spell it.

i don't care how you try to say it's a term of endearment. it is an ugly word, and should be eliminated from the english language. >> john wooten, i hope people are listening to you. i could not agree with you more, sir. and i've got to say, that cleveland browns coach who said "i don't have black browns, i don't have white browns, i have cleveland browns," amen to that. good luck with all of this. >> thank you so much. appreciate it. >> sure. we're going to explore this issue further at 1:45 eastern time. mean time, a restaurant chain is now adding a surcharge to its customer checks to help pay for obamacare health insurance. how are customers react to go that? let me talk to you about retirement. a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. sure. you seem knowledgeable, professional. would you trust me as your financial advisor? i would. i would indeed. well, let's be clear here. i'm actually a dj. [ dance music plays ]

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discovering a 1% surcharge added to their bills when they asked for the check. josh thomas from wfla in to him pa. josh, explain this. i'm looking right now, by the way, at a receipt and i'm seeing on this $22 bill a 20 cents aca surcharge. >> basically, it's a 1% surcharge that this restaurant, gators dockside, is going to charge its customers. we need to note, it's not all the gators dockside here in florida, but a select number in central florida and jacksonville. basically, they say they have to charge this 1% surcharge fee to cover the cost of the affordable care act, obamacare. they claim that they're doing this because they feel that they have to stay afloat, and they say they do not want that insurance cost to impact their business in a negative way. >> okay. so what has been the reaction to this surcharge? >> well, it depends who you ask. we talked to several customers outside the restaurant in lakeland, florida. some say they understand why the business is charging this extra fee.

others say that it's just part of the cost of doing business, and they don't understand why there's a sign on the front of the door as well as basically something they hand customers inside the restaurant, notifying them of this 1% surcharge. here's what some of the customers we talked to had to say. >> business just needs to operate, turn a profit, and maintain their employees. unfortunately, the consumers are paying for it. >> i don't agree with it. just because, you know, those type of charges are already given to us from the government. and the various laws and actions we mustel follow. but at the same time, i'm hungry. >> now, i should also note, we did do an internal poll here at wfla-it tv here in tampa and found out roughly 65% of the people polled say they do not support this additional fee, and some of them said they wouldn't even support the business if, indeed, they continued to charge that fee. >> you know, okay, it's one thing to not support them. but i'm curious, josh, is it

even legal to just add on a surcharge like that? i mean, it's essentially a tax. >> basically, it is a tax. and quite frankly, they said they're doing it so they don't have to have an additional tax on the customers who come in. but it is a 1% surcharge. one can ask the question, why don't you add a surcharge for the cost of electricity or the cost of leasing out your business or the cost of basically ordering the food that the people are going to eat? one can argue it. but it is their business. and so i guess they can do however they want to do it. >> anyone worried about a ripple effect here, that other restaurant chains are going to follow suit? >> it's possible that others could follow suit. now, as i mentioned before, these are the ones that are in central florida, as well as up in jacksonville. but there are others that are located here on the west side of the state here in tampa, as well as on the east side of the state in orlando. they say they're not going to charge this additional surcharge. they say they don't understand why this particular franchisee is choosing to do it. but they say that's not going to be part of the way they do business. again, we have seen other

businesses that have done this. i know there is a restaurant in los angeles that's also joined suit. so it's possible you could see businesses adding this fee. but at the same time, they could have that, as you say, ripple he will effect. and the negative effect, where customers say i'm not going buy a hamburger or some wings from you guys. >> absolutely. wfla's josh thomas. thanks. appreciate it. it has been a couple months since recreational marijuana became legal in colorado. but what impact has it had in that state? that's next. polident kills 99.99% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. that's why i recommend polident. [ male announcer ] cleaner, fresher, brighter every day. itit grows more sophisticated baevery day. back alleys. if it were a business, it would be a fortune 500 company. fraud has evolved. american express intelligent security gives you tools to fight fraud

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counterterrorism center joins me from washington. with a welcome, i would like you to kind of message slood mere putin is trying to send. how do you read it? >> it's a clear message, alex. the united states, don't get involved in our, russia's, sphere of influence. we believe at least parts of ukraine, if not all of ukraine, should be in our sphere, and you, the united states, and the european union, largely do not have the tools to stop us from exertion our power and our will. >> so then what should be the response, michael, from the international community to include what is scheduled to happen 25 minutes from now here in midtown on the east side of the united nations? >> the options are relatively limited, alex. certainly, with respect to the united nations, i don't see any prospect for success, because, of course, russia is part of the security council and has a veto. the u.s. and european union will obviously have to consult. some things are possible, getting russia out of the g-8,

making it the g-7 again. some sort of sanctions activity will likely be proposed by the u.s. senate and house. but in all likelihood, what we saw in 2008 when the russians invaded part of georgia, will recur here. we can do some things, but russia is big, russia has a lot of cash from its petro dollars over the past several years and it likely isn't going to be deterred any time soon. >> michael, despite being an independent sovereign state, we know that most of crimea's residents, at least, are pro russia. so what can ukraine do? >> about 60% of crimea is russian. and then you've got about 25% ukrainian. and much of eastern ukraine, of course, does have closer ties to russia. ukraine is in a very tough spot. it is both in terms of its organization, its security services, but also its financial position. so one thing that the west is going to have to do is accelerate the imf funding to the ukraine so they can establish these institutions.

and ukraine will fight back. ukraine is a strong country. the question will be, does ukraine have to draw the line on crimea, or does putin and russia push farther in? of course, the recent statement from the upper house in russia allowed military activity in all of ukraine. i don't think that it's a given that's going to occur. it may end at crimea. but certainly, this is probably the biggest crisis we have seen between the west and russia for many decades. >> yeah. okay. we're certainly keeping a close eye on developments there. but michael, i want to ask about a couple other things, including in new information that the fbi had a mole inside of al qaeda who met with osama bin laden eight years prior to 9/11. sources are telling nbc news, the mole, quote, knew he planned to finance terror attacks, but the bureau declined to tell investigators or the commission about the mole. so if the u.s. had a mole who knew about the planned attacks, should that have helped stop

september 11th? >> i really don't think so. we have to look at the dates that were involved here. and the fbi did have this source, this source had met bin laden once. but the source really ran. they were getting information from 1993 until 1995. and he was very regrettably killed in 1995 in bosnia by al qaeda, because they believed he was, and in fact he was, a cia source at that point. so i think what this story, which was some great reporting, i think, really shows was that in that period, '93, '95, there was still significant dysfunction between some of the u.s. intelligence organizations. the fbi and cia. but frankly, that's not a huge surprise. that's a lot of what caused 9/11. but i don't think this really had any material effect on the outcome of 9/11, and i can understand quite clearly why the fbi, if they didn't share it with the commission, would have thought this source has been dead for six years and really

had no information that was relevant to that attack. >> 'reokkay with the fact they didn't put this in the 9/11 commission report? >> i think in a situation like 9/11, you always want as much disclosed as possible. but did it have a material effect, either on what the commission saw and the reforms that followed? frankly, i don't think it did. but absolutely, always in these situations, you want to err on the side of inclusion. and it really does highlight in another way some of the things that were broken pre9/11. so we shouldn't be surprised. >> michael leiter, always good to get your insights. thanks. >> thanks, alex. we go now to montana and the site of a terrifying avalanche that slammed into a residential neighborhood, burying three people, all found alive. ron allen has the latest. what a story. >> reporter: indeed, alex. we have been hearing about avalanches out west, but most happen in wildernesses areas. this is a residential area, town of missoula, population 70,000. and it septembnt debris flying

rescuers scrambling. it happened without warning. the avalanche came crashing down on to a western montana neighborhood. crushing one home, and trapping three people. including an 8-year-old boy. >> yeah. >> rescuers rushed to the scene. while residents did everything they could to get rid of the snow, so they could help get to the family inside. >> i looked outside, and everyone was running with shovels. >> reporter: about an hour after the search started -- >> wait! >> reporter: that young boy was pulled from the debris. while he was rushed to the hospital, the frantic search continued for two elderly people still trapped inside. eventually, signs of life. both were found and brought to safety. missoula residents stunned that something like this could happen in their backyards. >> i just can't believe there

would be one that would kind of do as much damage. so i was really shocked. >> reporter: but grateful this morning for the kindness of strangers. >> i thought it was amazing how many people were out here to help. >> reporter: at the hospital, the elderly man has been upgraded to serious condition. but his wife remains critical. and the 8-year-old boy, we're told, is in fair condition. not expected to be released from the hospital today. but expected to recover. authorities are still trying to figure out what caused this. there were some reports of snowboarders in the area. and the situation is still unstable with warnings of more possible avalanches and several dozen families evacuating their homes as a precaution. alex? >> all right. quite a story. thanks for bringing it to us. nbc's ron allen. from there to colorado. exactly two months ago, the state began allowing the sale of recreational marijuana. tax revenues from those sales have far exceeded expectations. let's bring in nbc affiliate kusa reporter brandon witterman joining me from denver. with a welcome to you, how have the marijuana sales in the last couple months been in general?

>> reporter: well, in general, things have been just kind of picking up at sort of a normal growth pace. you've had more stores come online since day one, as you're aware. when things first got started at the beginning of the year, only a handfulful of stores. gradually, more have been getting their licenses and coming online, which is helping to meet the demand in this early stage of legalization. >> so there has been enough supply to meet the demand, because i know that first day when we were on the air covering it, i mean, literally the marijuana was flying off the shelves. there were concerns they wouldn't be able to supply. >> reporter: yeah. they're still doing all right. and because more stores are coming online to meet the demand, there's plenty of product available. one of the concerns is getting a lot of the edible manufacturers online, because they have to get certified through a whole new process in order to sell for recreational versus medical. so a lot of them have an established process. but they don't have the licensing they need. and the pipeline, if you will, of products coming in. so if you go into a store right now, you're likely to find plenty of options f actual

marijuana to smoke, whereas if you're looking for something to eat or something like that, you're going to have fewer options. they still have some, but a lot of the manufacturers haven't gotten the full process. >> what about the backlash, brandon? any immediate negative effects in this state? for instance, traffic accidents, people driving impaired that you can attribute to marijuana, as opposed to a dui? >> well, we have had some incidents, but the tricky part is, right, that marijuana was around before legalization, so unless somebody says, oh, yes, i bought this at one of the new stores, it's hard to attribute the accident directly to the legalization of recreational sales. for instance, we had a high profile case shortly after legalization where a gentleman hit two parked squad cars that belonged to the state patrol. >> oops. >> reporter: yeah, not a great story for him. but i mean, it's quite possible, and without him telling us where he got the marijuana, you can't really directly attribute it to this. and the thing with problems when it comes to legalized marijuana

is, these aren't really sort of chaos in the streets type of problems. they're individual cases of some things, where you have somebody get addicted to something, and it starts to have an impact on their family or you have an accident perhaps where you know, children injest something they shouldn't end up having to go to the hospital, which can be kind of a traumatic experience in and of itself. >> absolutely. >> reporter: yeah, it's not something that's likely to actually be fatal. in fact, there aren't really documented cases of thc killing people. but it can be a traumatic experience for the family, nonetheless. and studies do show it's not good for brain development, of course. >> yeah. what about the enormous tax revenues, though? you have the governor there, governor hickenlooper, predicting $184 million in just the first year-and-a-half. do you think colorado is leading the way for other states to legalize? >> reporter: well, i think people are going to look and see that, yes, it can be a windfall. what you hinted at before, we don't know the societal costs. and that is something that will be measured over time. so it's going to be more of a

value call. is it worth legalization in order to get that tax revenue. but, yeah, we were a little surprised to see these figures, because by projections, they're looking at a half billion dollar industry. >> okay. brandon rooterman from kusa, thank you for joining us from denver. >> thanks, alex. the big three tackles the nfl's push to ban on-field slurs. to remove makeup. and bright on schedule eye roller to instantly de-puff. for instant beauty sleep, no sleep required. new fresh effects from olay.

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healthy never tasted so good. it's time for the big three in today's topics. what's in a word in burning questions. we bring in the big three panel. msnbc contributor, goldie taylor whose column breaking black is every monday. morris reed, hiding out in washington. and republican strategist and msnbc contributor, susan del percent o. what's in a word, calling for 15-yard penalties for any players who use racial slurs on the field. there has been a lot of reaction to this, this week. goldie, what's yours? >> it sounds to me like that cussing jar my grandmother used

to have in our tiny room. and to an extent, i agree with it, but i don't believe it's going to change what is a cultural issue within the nfl. and in many other corners of american life. and so while i applaud the nfl for taking a hard look at how these men deal with one another on and off the field, especially on the field, i don't know that it's going to really go and do the very hard work on the culture of the nfl. >> okay. morris, the head of the fritz pollard alliance, john wooten, who i spoke with earlier this hour, he is calling for the 15-yard penalty. he says he expects the league to implement his proposed rule. i'm going to have my director put up the quote, and i'm going to instead of reading it just ask you what you think about all this. i mean, do you think it's right to go for this, and do you think it will be achieved? >> well, i don't know how you enforce it. if you look at what goes on in premier soccer league over in europe, they have something similar like this. so i don't know how you enforce it. players tell on each other, are they flagged for being racist? i don't understand the optics of

the whole scenario around this. i think that the league will probably do it to be politically correct. i just still don't know how you enforce it. and ultimately the impact it will have on the game. as you know, in the premier league, they look into an investigation, you're fined or you're banned from a game. so we'll see how this plays out. >> yeah, there is also a players conduct you can do if you're not going to go for the 15-yard penalty and can affect the actual playing of the game. susan, when you look at the breakdown of nfl players, 30% white, 66% african-american. so on the heels of that, let's take a listen to what sports editor of the nation dave zi ran said on msnbc. >> 99% white ownership, one owner of collar in jacksonville, and an overwhelmingly white referees policing speech between african-american players. it's not dissimilar from the concussion issue, where the nfl has levied these steep penalties on players for these hits while at the same time trying to push for an 18-game season and more thursday night games. the hypocrisy runs through

ownership player relations. >> what is your reaction to that, susan? is there some kind of partnership hypocrisy going on here? >> actually, you heard the counter to this. a lot of players saying there i freedom of speech issue and that's why they're against it. and in this day and age, it's some of this language that's common. and they shouldn't be penalized. on the other side, i agree with goldie and morris. goldie on the fact that there really -- it's not going to solve a problem. morris, how are you going to implement it? and at the end of the day, i think it was a big p.r. stunt. >> let's move to our next topic. it's burning questions, goldie, we're going to watch the situation developing in ukraine certainly. keeping a close eye on that. but the president says there will be, quote, costs, for any military intervention in ukraine. realistically, what kind of costs could the president carry out? >> that really is the question. will the u.s. or nato or the u.n. security council do anything to keep russia off of the peninsula? no.

in fact, there's nothing that they really can do. so i sort of look forward to seeing what kind of pressure the u.s. can really bring to bear. the ukrainians certainly deserve its sovereignty. russia ought to respect that. but to say that this country has some means, some resourceful means that can push russia back on its heels, i'm not really sure that's the case. >> what about the fort lee police department releasing the videos -- they're not telling us anything about the current investigation. but what do they tell us? >> tells you that people were pissed off, the obvious situation there. they knew what they were doing when they were playing games here. at the end of the day, they didn't care what the impact was on the driver of the bridge. they cared about politics.

we'll see what happens here. but if it was me on the bridge, it would have been a lot more colorful language than i said. >> you've been colorful right there. susan, the national archives released 4,000 pages of confidential documents involving the clinton administration. if the gop were inclined to start picking this old stuff up, is that kind of dangerous territory, even if secretary clinton runs for president in 2016? >> absolutely not. if there are opinions she held in the 1990s versus now, she's going to have to explain it. this is probably going to start her campaign earlier than she had hoped. she's going to have to explain her stance on the issues. >> we're going to fly through our west and worst of the week. uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions.

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we are back with the best and worst of the week. goldie, to you first. what are your picks? >> best of the week is president

barack obama in his "my brother's keeper" initiative, the first lifeline that african-american boys and hispanic boys and men across this country have had in this lifetime of mine. i applaud him for that. my loser of the week is "the washington post" columnist jennifer reuben who compared the very necessary help being given to these black and brown boys to discrimination of gay couples. >> interesting. morris, yours? >> my winner is a friend of mine who i spoke about on the show this summer, youngest prime minister of italy. he's been doing a great job in turning that place around. my loser is really the u.s. and the eu and how russia's outflanked them. you heard me talk about the fact that we need to figure out a way to deal with russia. >> susan, yours? >> best of the week goes to governor jan brewer for vetoing that antegay discrimination. worst goes to president obama. he was told to stay away from these tough senate races in

2014. and now today we see his empty threats really are meaningless when it comes to putin and it's put us in a dangerous situation. >> goldie, morris and susan, thanks. that's a wrap of "weekends with alex witt." see you right back here tomorrow. craig melvin up next. i got off on top, craig melvin! [ man ] wanna see some allergens? [ together ] eww! what is that thing? they could be all around you right now. [ gasps ] ♪ how would you deal with them? um... ninjas. [ male announcer ] no need for ninjas. reduce up to 95% of inanimate allergens becoming airborne from fabrics with new, dermatologist tested febreze allergen reducer. get fresher air and breathe happy. febreze allergen reduc... ...er. febreze allergen reduc... explaining my moderate to severe so there i was again, chronic plaque psoriasis to another new stylist. it was a total embarrassment. and not the kind of attention i wanted. so i had a serious talk with my dermatologist about my treatment options.

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